Daily Record Financial News &
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Vol. 102, No. 227 • One Section
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Curry HRO plan coming in a month Mayor has long said he wanted to lead ‘community conversation’ on issue By David Chapman Staff Writer
Expanding the Human Rights Ordinance was a frequent topic on the campaign trails that led to March and May elections. How would the mayor and City Council members see the issue? When would it be addressed? With an approved budget growing smaller in the rearview, many in the community say now is the time to talk about the issue. Mayor Lenny Curry has long talked about leading the issue
Curry
with a “community conversation.” According to his spokeswoman Marsha Oliver, the mayor’s plan for that conversation will be delivered within a month. For advocates who have waited years since the failure of the 2012 push, it’s welcome news. “I think people who are in favor of a Human Rights Ordinance … we’re ready to see some action taken,” said Dan Merkan, chair of the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality. Banning discrimination based
on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression was struck down by council three years ago. Since then, though, one almost wouldn’t recognize the political landscape. Curry and 11 new council members took office in July, many pledging support to the expansion effort. Curry never publicly took a stance on the issue, only saying he is against discrimination and would the lead the conversation about the issue. “We participated in the elec-
tions for the purpose of electing a mayor and council who were more willing to entertain amending the HRO,” said Jimmy Midyette, an attorney and chair of the Northeast Florida LGBT political action committee. “People remember that and they’re really excited.” Midyette recently met with Kerri Stewart, Curry’s chief of staff, to talk about the issue in broader terms — but the two didn’t get into specifics, Midyette said. HRO
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Where will Jazz Fest be?
SunTrust CEO: City has ‘a lot of upside’ Bank specializes in ports and logistics
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New venue certain, festival to be studied
By Max Marbut, Staff Writer
Expect changes for the 2016 Jacksonville Jazz Festival, scheduled over the Memorial Day weekend. So far, the only firm decision made by the city about the May 26-29 festival is it will have a different venue. The Shipyards property is off-limits for events due to possible environmental issues, said Dave Herrell, sports and entertainment officer. Herrell said the jazz festival and other city-produced events are up for evaluation to identify ways to make the events better for the audiences and the city. A jazz festival focus group will meet Thursday, Herrell said. The city has invited business owners, event sponsors and representatives from the Downtown Investment Authority, Downtown Vision Inc., Visit Jacksonville, the Cultural Council of
Special to the Daily Record
SunTrust Banks Inc. is one of the largest banking companies in the country but unlike some of the other industry giants, its branch network is confined mostly to the Southeastern U.S. However, SunTrust Chairman and CEO Bill Rogers doesn’t see that as impediment to serving clients. “Our business isn’t defined by physical location anymore,” Rogers said in an interview Monday during a visit to Jacksonville. Atlanta-based SunTrust serves business clients with teams of experts in a variety of fields. “I think they expect that we know their business,” he said. “If someone from SunTrust shows up on your doorstep, they’ve done their homework.” One of the company’s specialties is ports and logistics, a major Jacksonville industry that Rogers thinks Rogers can benefit from SunTrust’s experience. “We can bring some of that expertise to bear,” he said. Rogers said he looks at Jacksonville as a city with “a lot of upside” because it wasn’t hit as hard by recent downturns in the economy. “We see Jacksonville with great potential,” he said. Besides logistics, SunTrust is also focusing on franchising and health care and aging services as specialties that can benefit Jacksonville customers, said Brian Parks, president and CEO of SunTrust’s North Florida Region. “We have a lot of competition. What they don’t have is our ability to connect the dots for our clients,” Parks said.
File photo by Max Marbut
By Mark Basch Contributing Writer
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